swapping a curtain for a door

as much as i love my "door" curtains, i was super excited when dad brought over the bi-fold door that would be my new pantry!

i tore down my green curtain and dad got to work. it didn't take him too long, and his only question was where to mount the door handle.

who knew opening and closing a door could be so much fun!

after green comes red

just another update on the little jalapeno plant. even though it's winter, the lil fella is still chuggin away. in just over a month, he went from a fresh new green from bright red!

so now i have succeeded in growing tomatoes, jalapenos, parsley, oregano, cilantro and chives. if only they would have all been around at the same time so i can finally make some homemade salsa! maybe this next summer. only time will tell.

a tiny seedling

it's been almost an entire year now since my dream of having my own garden came to be...

it all started with a little windowsill garden; comprised of oregano, parsley, chives and cilantro. next i bought a few succulent plants from ikea. then i planted a few more seedlings from the home depot, and before i knew it, summer was here. i moved the lil fellas outside, hoping to be able to use them for salsa with my hanging topsy turvy tomato plant.

and all along my jalapenos have been just stems and leaves. but look what just sprouted...a tiny jalapeno! and there are more budding!

pumpkins in the window

i know these pumpkins aren't anything to write home about...but if you know me, these are pretty extravagant. the past few years i have either skipped carving pumpkins all-together, or drawn a smiley face on them with permanent marker. so i was extremely proud of myself for making my pumpkins and showing them off in my windows for all to see (and by "all" i mean, those few people who walk on the sidewalk by my place).

i even made a batch of perfectly crunchy, deliciously salty pumpkin seeds! yum yum :)

tamatoe tuhmato

the day finally arrived when my tomatoes ripened and were red enough to eat. now, since i don't really like tomatoes, some people might think it's weird that i even attempted growing them. but here's proof i actually ate them! raw with some salt & pepper.

unfortunately i didn't get to make salsa with my veggie garden (which was the reason i bought the topsy turvy in the first place), because over the course of the summer i only grew about 5 tomatoes. that's probably because I started so late in the season, i'll have to start earlier next spring...

fried green tomatoes

just a little update on my hanging topsy turvy tomato garden. there are a handful of little green tomatoes growing among the leaves, and i am patiently waiting for them to turn red. well, not so patiently...does red come after green? i hope so.

salsa on a ledge

my little herb garden has been through a lot in its day. if you remember back to the beginning of this year, i planted the tiny seeds in the windowsill of my dining room. weeks went by, and even though a few didn't make it, the surviving plants gave me the confidence to plant a few more varieties. right now my jalapenos, parsley, and oregano are growing strong!

now i just need my tomatoes to ripen and homemade salsa here i come!

aussie fest reunion

some pix from aussie fest reunion, held at my place. the festivities began with a Japan slideshow, narrated by mom. we took a break, played some games, ate some grub, and crowded into the living room for the second show of the day: the Australia slideshow, narrated by matthew.

some of the gang: rachael, ryan, kristina, matthew and adam.

the group of us 'kids' who survived the second slideshow. whew, what a long day, but it was a fun one!